Upgraded
by Danny vs A Month
Summary: Reworking Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 to give it a slightly different ending. Because I can't leave well enough alone.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Guardians of the Galaxy or any of the characters. I never understood why Peter had to decide between being human or being Ego's battery. There was always a third option.

* * *

Love

Peter sat on his bed, staring at the space between his hands. He took a breath and energy began to flow between them. He was getting better at controlling it. Ego said it would take him millions of years to be on his level and he had no doubt of that fact. But for the time being, he was getting much better at manipulating the energy. He could now form swords or daggers with it, or whips, or clubs. Basic things requiring it to be solid. Mostly what he was training to do was connect to it and control its flow. He figured if he could get that down, the rest would be much easier.

A knock sounded at the door and he stopped the flow then blinked. He felt light. He closed his eyes, focusing. There. There was energy built up inside of himself. He had accidentally stolen it when he had cut the flow. The knock sounded again.

"Coming!" Peter said, hurrying to the door and opening it, finding Mantis. "Mantis?"

"I was wondering if I could ask you some questions," Mantis said.

"Sure," Peter said. "What's up?"

"Well, it's just, I am confused about love," Mantis said.

"Well I'm not exactly the right person to talk to about it," Peter said.

"I don't mean romantic love," Mantis said. "I was sitting with Drax earlier and he was talking about his daughter. And he was smiling. I wanted to feel his happiness, because it is hard for an empath to feel their own emotions, but when I touched him, it wasn't happiness. There was so much sadness that it was suffocating. And there was a loneliness. There was also love but it was a sad, painful kind. And yet, despite all the pain, there was a contentedness. I do not understand. How can someone feel such pain and sadness and yet be so content? How can someone smile if they are hurting so much?"

"Drax loved his daughter more than anything," Peter said. "She was his entire world, along with his wife. But she was killed by Ronan the Accuser. He misses her, far more than he lets on. But, people can feel content even when in pain because of the love, painful or not. He was able to know her, and enjoy what time he had with her. He may miss her, and want her back more than anything else, but he's content because he got to spend time with her."

"But then, shouldn't there have been happiness?" Mantis asked.

"No," Peter said. "Not necessarily. He lost someone he loves deeply. He can't be happy about that. But he can be content."

"Oh," Mantis said. "You lied. You are a very good person to talk to about this."

"Not usually," Peter said. "I'm usually horrible at this. I keep messing up with...nevermind. Listen, if that's everything, I need to get some sleep."

"Oh, right," Mantis said. "I'm sorry for taking your time."

She left and Peter stared at his hands again, restarting the energy's flow, returning what he had accidentally stolen, then experimentally taking more, keeping it inside of himself when he cut off the flow. It wasn't much, but it was there. After several seconds, he began to experiment with manipulating the energy he had inside of himself, rather than the energy in the planet, and soon realized that it was easier to do it that way. But he was stealing pieces of his father, so he eventually returned it and lay down, drifting off.

* * *

Peter walked up behind Gamora as Sam Cooke drifted through the air, wrapping his arms around her and taking the communicator, tossing it aside and turning her toward him.

"What are you doing?" Gamora asked.

"Dance with me," Peter said.

"This is hardly a good time," Gamora said, trying to pull away. "I can't reach Rocket on the communicator-"

"This is Sam Cooke," Peter said. "One of the best singers in Earth's history."

Gamora gave him a skeptical look but took his hand, reaching her other hand up to his shoulder, but unsure of where to place it. After a moment, Peter extended his arm over her, Gamora spinning with a practiced ease, never letting go of her hand and smirking. Then, she returned to him in a similar manner, her arm resting on her shoulder and hand laying on his back comfortably now, a small smile gracing Gamora's lips.

"Drax says you're not a dancer," Peter said.

"If you ever tell anyone about this, I will kill you," Gamora said.

Peter smiled as they swayed, eyes stuck on hers. Finally, he hd to ask.

"When are we going to do something about this unspoken thing between us?" Peter asked.

"What unspoken thing?" Gamora asked.

"This...Cheers...Sam and Dianne...guy and a girl on a TV show dig each other but never say it because if they do the ratings would go down sort of thing," Peter said.

"There's no unspoken thing," Gamora said.

"Well it's a catch 22 because if you said it then it would be spoken and you'd be a liar," Peter countered. "So by not saying it, you are telling the truth and admitting that there is."

Gamora stared at him in confusion for a moment.

"No that's not what I've..." she trailed off shaking her head before sighing and stepping back, pushing him away. "What we should be discussing right now is something about this place doesn't feel right."

"What are you talking about?" Peter asked. "You're the one who wanted me to come here."

"That girl Mantis, she's afraid of something," Gamora said.

"Why are you trying to take this away from me?" Peter asked as Gamora sat on the couch, picking up a pistol.

"I'm not trying-"

"He's my father," Peter interrupted. "He's blood."

"You have blood on Earth and you never wanted to return there."

"Again, you made me come here! And Earth? Earth is where my mother died in front of me!"

"No, it's because that place is real, and this is a fantasy!" Gamora stood, storming over to her bag and beginning to dig through it.

"This is real! I'm only half human remember?"

"That's the half I'm worried about!"

"Oh s...I get it, you're jealous because I'm part god, and you like when I'm the weak one."

"You were insufferable to begin with," Gamora said, picking up her communicator. "I haven't been able to reach Rocket, I'm going to go outside, and I'm going to try and get a signal."

"You know what, this is not Cheers after all," Peter said. "This is whatever the show is where one person is willing to open themselves up to new possibilities and the other person is a jerk who doesn't trust anybody! It's a show that doesn't exist! That's why it would get zero ratings!"

"I don't know what Cheers is!"

"I finally found my family, don't you understand that?"

Hurt filled Gamora's face and when she next spoke, her voice was thick with it. "I thought you already had."

Then, she turned, leaving the room and leaving Peter staring after her.

* * *

Peter stared into the distance as images flashed before his eyes. His mind was hazy but the images were so vivid, so real, so perfect. Light was everywhere. Covering everything. Every last living thing, every planet, everything was covered with light, shining with it.

"It's beautiful," Peter said.

"You just have to adjust your way of thinking about life," Ego said. "Everything in this universe, everything but us is...even the girl...are...temporary." He turned to Peter, noticing the sad look on his face. "What is it son?"

"My friends," Peter said.

"Oh well you see...that's the mortal in you, Peter," Ego said.

"Yes," Peter said

"We are beyond such things," Ego said.

"Yes...but my mother," Peter said. "You said you loved my mother."

"And that I did," Ego said. "My River Lilly who knew all the words to every song that came over the radio. I returned to Earth to see her three times. And I knew if I returned a fourth, I'd never leave. The Expansion, the reason for my very existence, would be over. So I did what I had to do. But...it broke my heart to put that tumor in her head."

Peter blinked, his words ringing in his ears as the images faded. He stared at Ego in shock, rage filling him.

"What?"

"Now now, alright, I know that sounds bad-"

Peter drew his blasters, shooting Ego again and again, the blasts blowing gaping holes in him, entire pieces of Ego's body being blasted into ashes, and still he continued to fire. It wasn't that easy to kill a god, after all. When he finally stopped, there were gaping holes all over, and Ego's entire left arm was gone, as was the right side of his face. In their place were vein-like lines of glowing blue energy.

"Who...in the hell do you think you are!?" Ego demanded, staring at him.

"YOU KILLED MY MOTHER!"

"I tried...so hard to find form that best suited you!" Ego shouted, his body regenerating then transforming into Hasselhoff, exactly as he was in the picture Peter carried. "And this is the thanks I get?" He transformed back. "You really need to grow up!"

He held out his and and the ground behind Peter exploded, Peter spinning and staring as a massive stream of light reached into the air, extending into a spike then driving itself into his back and out his chest. Pain erupted through his entire body, his strength leaving him as he felt Ego slowly sucking away his energy. Ego was speaking but he couldn't hear. There was so much pain. And yet, he could feel something else. He could feel something getting stronger. Some other thing. The Expansion, he realized. It had begun.

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	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Guardians of the Galaxy or any of the characters.

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Family Feud

Peter rolled to his feet, shooting the tendrils of light and stone as they attacked him. He was glad that they weren't as unstoppable as they looked. A few good shots and they would fall apart. Still, he was distracted. Gamora had fallen when the ground broke apart. Still, there were a lot of them. The more he shot the more seemed to appear. Rocket was flying around with his machine gun, Yondu was barely keeping up with them using his arrow, and Peter was struggling in general. Suddenly, a rumbling sound began behind him and he spun just as a massive wall of stone crashed into his head, hurling him.

A loud ringing sound began first, then the pain. He felt dizzy, even through the pain, but pushed himself up, staring down at his helmet, then looking up and around. The structure before him suddenly broke apart and fell, leaving a glowing silhouette that began to grow bones and muscle as it strode forward. Then, suddenly, Yondu was hit with a tendril, the tendril pinning him to the ground and beginning to pile rocks on him, slowly crushing him. To Peter's other side, a tendril caught Rocket, slowly constricting, the stones crushing him just as slowly as Yondu. Both of their pained screams drowned out nearly everything else.

"I told you, I don't want to do this alone," Ego said as he reached the same stone area Peter was kneeling on.

Suddenly, a tendril of light stabbed him from behind again, lifting him into the air as pain flared through his body, blotting out all other senses. More tendrils joined it. Then still more. Still Ego was talking, ranting, about the worth and meaning of life. Still more tendrils impaled Peter, sapping his strength. Then, another voice reached Peter's ears, demanding to be understood.

"I don't use my head to fly the arrow boy!" Yondu shouted. "I use my hear-agh!"

Stones fell over his face and the broken arrow beside him and Peter's head rolled back to the front then fell back, his eyes drifting up toward the daylight above them, to where a pillar had previously crashed into the wall and where tendrils of light were at the top, and two people. He couldn't see who, his vision was darkening. Images began to flash behind his eyes. His mother listening to his walkman with him. Laughing with Drax over something stupid. Testing the jetpacks with Rocket. Learning to shoot from Yondu. The balcony on Nowhere. Staring into Gamora's eyes as she listened to his music. Dancing with Gamora. Gamora.

His eyes snapped open, vision sharpening as he stared at the two people pinned to the wall, slowly being crushed. One with blue skin, one with green. Gamora. She was dying. Peter turned his eyes back to Ego who turned to him as well. Peter grit his teeth, forcing his body to respond and curling his hands into fists. Then, he focused on the energy, yanking on it and reversing its flow, energy flooding into his body.

"Let her go!" Peter snarled.

Then, he took off like a rocket, blasting off of the tendrils of light and smashing into Ego, dragging him through the air and smashing him through a massive stone pillar, some of the stone debris forming over his hand in a massive stone fist that he began to smash into Ego's face, each punch smashing a little more of his face in, leaving glowing holes. Finally, he smashed Ego into the wall, grabbing him in a choke as Ego's grip on Peter's friends fell apart, freeing them all. Peter felt the Expansion halting again and began to punch Ego again. Then, Ego backhanded him, launching him backward before following, crashing into him fist first and grabbing his jacket, flying with him. Peter was sure that later he would look back on this and feel like Superman fighting General Zod, but for the moment he focused on smashing his fists into Ego's face as hard as he could as they crashed through stone structure after stone structure.

Finally he grabbed Ego and spun, hurling him away then stopping, gathering as much energy as he knew he could hold and cutting it off from Ego, trapping it inside of himself before looking back toward Ego. Just as he did, Ego's arm crashed into his head, flipping him. The world spun, Peter's head rang, and again Ego slammed a strike into Peter's head. Then, he grabbed Peter, smashing him into a wall before grabbing him by the face and spinning, hurling him through a pillar into another wall. Peter's head continued to ring but he forced himself to focus, exploding out of the wall at Ego as Ego flew at him. Stone began to build around Ego, forming a massive stone version and Peter formed a massive stone recreation of his own. Then, the two threw a punch. Ego's was faster, slamming into Peter's jaw and sending out a massive explosion. Peter's head rang again as he fell before Ego's hands closed around his neck. He grabbed Ego's forearms, struggling to break free, but Ego's grip was too strong.

They blasted through one last stone structure before Ego smashed him down in the platform where they started, kneeling on his chest and grinning triumphantly as Peter looked up at him, white spots dancing in his vision. Suddenly, Ego's head spun up toward his core and he leapt into the air, only for Peter to catch his foot and slam him back down, climbing onto him and punching him as hard as he could, smashing his face. Ego punched Peter, knocking him off and moved to fly to his core again only for Ego to catch him.

"Stop it!" Ego said. "We have to stop it! Stop! Listen to me! Listen! You are a god! If you kill me, you'll be just like everybody else!"

"What's so wrong with that?" Peter asked.

"No!" Ego raged, smashing Peter's arms away before grabbing him by the throat and smashing his head into the ground repeatedly.

Peter lost all feeling after the third, and suddenly, Ego was gone. Peter managed to roll his head to the side, seeing Ego reach the core just as it exploded into a massive fireball. Peter smiled, vision beginning to fade only for a voice to bring him back. Yondu, shouting his name. His vision began to swim in front of his eyes again but he knew he was going to pass out soon, no matter what. He felt himself moving, and heard Yondu speaking. he forced himself to listen.

"I'm sorry I didn't do none of it right," Yondu was saying. "But I'm damn lucky you was my boy."

Then, Peter felt a warmth spread through him and his senses fled, accepting the comfort.

* * *

Peter stared at Yondu. flowers and candles around him. Strips of cloth with ribbons on them across his face. His knick knacks lying by his side. He could be sleeping.

"I told Gamora I used to pretend David Hasselhoff was my dad," Peter said, seeing the confused looks Drax and Rocket shared. "He's a singer and actor from Earth. A really famous guy. Yondu...Yondu didn't have a talking car, but he did have a flying arrow. He didn't have the beautiful voice of an angel but he did have the whistle of one. Both David Hasselhoff went on kickass adventures and hooked up with hot women. And fought robots...I guess David Hasselhoff did kinda end up being my dad after all. Only it was you, Yondu."

He felt his eyes beginning to burn just as Gamora's hand touched his shoulder comfortingly.

"I had a pretty cool dad," Peter continued as the tears began to fall. "What I'm trying to say here is...sometimes that thing you're searching for your whole life, it's right there by your side all along. You don't even know it. Until it's gone."

After a moment of silence, Gamora walked away, following her sister. Peter slowly pushed Yondu's body into the incinerator, watching his father burn.

* * *

Peter sat in his room, staring at the thing Yondu had left for him, the screen read Zune but there was an apple on the back with the word ipod. He didn't really care what he called it, it was a gift, and he was going to keep it. Finally he set it aside, holding his hands out and reaching out to the energy he had kept. He silently prayed it still worked. Then, his hands lit up. He smiled. He hadn't kept much, but he had kept enough. He'd have to train, to learn how much power he had, and what he could do with it. And whether or not it would regenerate if he used too much.

He let the light fade just before the door opened and Gamora stepped inside, staring at him. Earlier, as the Ravagers had been giving Yondu a proper Ravager funeral, Gamora had admitted that there was an unspoken thing, finally. But Peter hadn't pressed it, or tried to do anything. He didn't want to ruin whatever was there.

"How did you do it?" Gamora asked. "How'd you gain control?"

"I let my heart control it," Peter said. "He was hurting my friends. Hurting you. I had to stop him."

"And you almost died doing it," Gamora said. "We almost lost you."

"I know," Peter said.

"No, you don't," Gamora said. "You have no idea how scared I was, how scared we all were...I...I thought I lost you. I thought I'd never get to tell you how much I..."

She trailed off staring at the ground and Peter held his arms out. Gamora stepped forward, hugging him and he wrapped his arms around her, sitting on his bed with her.

"I'm alright now," Peter said. "I'll be fine. I'm still here."

"But you almost weren't," Gamora said. "Rocket almost left you behind! Yondu almost couldn't get to you."

Peter pushed Gamora back, lifting her head to make her look at him and wiping her tears.

"Gamora, I'm safe," Peter said. "I'm still here and I'm not going anywhere without you."

"I'll hold you to that," Gamora said, wiping her eyes.

"Good," Peter smiled. "Then I don't need to worry about you leaving me behind."

Gamora's eyes started to water again and Peter sighed, wiping them.

"I'm joking," Peter said. "I promise you, Gamora, I'm not dying any time soon. I'm not leaving you."

Gamora nodded before leaning forward and capturing his lips with her own. Peter sighed, kissing her back, entire body exploding with joy at the feeling. After several seconds, she finally pulled back, smiling slightly.

"I hope our ratings don't go down now," Gamora said.

"Fuck the rating," Peter said. "I prefer it spoken."

Gamora smiled, kissing him again.

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